Ships and boats

Two cruise liners docked. Cruise liners, designed for holiday cruising, are larger than even the biggest of the transatlantic...Read More >>Two cruise liners docked. Cruise liners, designed for holiday cruising, are larger than even the biggest of the transatlantic liners. On the ship’s many decks (some have 15 or over), there are cabins for several thousand passengers (including luxury suites with balconies), swimming pools, bars, clubs, cafés and theatres. In the middle of the twentieth century, steam power began to give way to diesel power. Diesel engines are smaller, cleaner, far more efficient, and need fewer crew to operate them. Steam had almost completely disappeared by the 1980s. As air travel became convenient and cheap in the 1960s, passengers stopped travelling by sea and the age of the liner came to an end. But as cruise holidays became popular in the 1980s, construction of new, giant cruise liners began.

Parts of a ship

The main part of a ship is its hull, the part that sits in the water. It keeps the ship watertight and forms a strong structure that supports the other parts of the ship and its cargo. Inside the hull are horizontal decks and vertical walls called bulkheads. The parts of a ship above the main deck are called its superstructure. A tug, with part of its hull cut away so we can see the engine and propeller

Tugs

Tugs, for example, are ships specially designed to tow heavy ships, such as oil tankers. They have strong steel hulls and rubber fenders used for pushing ships. Tugs have an extremely powerful engine, which drives a large propeller. On some tugs, the propeller can be steered, changing the direction in which the tug is moving.